Bowling alley backstop mechanism



Septv. 23, 1952 G E, HAGQUls-r 2,611`,614

BOWLING ALLEY BACKSTOP MECHANISM lFiled March 15, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 @a /774 166 *fm/65,? 266 166 172/160 f5 fam/30,126

- .lNvENToR GUSTAF E. HAGQUIST ATTORNEY Sept. 23, 1952 G. E. HAGQUlsT BOWLING ALLEY BACKSTOP MECHANISM sheets-sheet 2 Filed March 15, 1946 INVENTOR GUSTAF E. HAGQUIST YM/4 my@ oO om www M4. 404 M 5 w 4 0 2 MVO/K O AO2 0 mw J4@ @4 2 6 43. JJ/,9.4

0 1 oO no 6 j 7. y 4 4444 I. 2 Fw 4 4 044mm Q 4 ATTORNEY I G'. E. HAGQulsT BOWLING ALLEY BACKSTOP MECHANISM Sept. 23, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 15, 1946 FIG. 3

t INVENToR GUSTAF E. HAGQUIST BY mfw ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 23, 1952 NISM Gustar' HagquistL'Brooklyn, N. Y., assigner to v .Y

ericanlMachirleand FvundryCQmeann e. l

corporationof New Jersey A' y fr y y Applicationmarchls, 1946, serial- No. 654,591`

V `When' this type of Vbumper is new, it may satisfy American Bowling Congress rules whichrez quire' that .no partthereof be less than ythirty inches from 'the end of thehowling-alleyfatg the. front of.. the.y pit.. However, due tol..impact-ofv balls in continued use, the padded surfacel thereof becomes worn and is knockedout of shape so that thecenter-portions drop downwardly `tovwards the pin and become misshapcrl in Vthat ..12 calms. 01-` .27a-43x',

the .stung is gradually forced or sagstowards the lower part of the bumper. :Such a bumper..

therefore, no longer conforms to vAmerican Bowling Congress rules inasmuch as parts` thereof, especially parts near, the pit,V are `muchcloserthan thirty inches-the limit specifedjjby Athe American BowlinglCongress.,Y 1

Under such conditions, some, iballs, especially rapidly thrown balls, upon striking against a misshapen part of the bumpenare aptfto be thrown back onto the playingsurface of the alley'where pins vare knocked down and illegal pin fall results. v l

Thepresent invention aims latlremoving/the above'noted umsatisfactory. conditions y.and at 1 -.he same time `fills theneed of a more practical type of backstop, especially 1a type of 'backstop deg- `sired for use in connection with anautolnatic bowling pin setting machine.

Applicant has found that if' a relatively .thirf backstop be employed in connection with a exi ble ball liftingV apron which is draped .substan-v tially vertically Ydownwardly over the face ofdthe backstop into the pit. theshock o ,f ball s arriveA lngin the pit and strikingl the 'back-stop is com-.1 pletely assimilated and rebound ,of .thefhall ont@ the pin supportingl surface of a bowling alley is likewise substantially eliminated. At the `,saine time a longer-life 4results, botnfronl the pointdcfv viewof the Vbacks/top and the'apron which co.- acts .therewith and `also forms the means for lifting pins from-.the alley-lin 'the .Course 0f Play with thebowling. machine of which thevmecha'- nism :constituting r.the invention is a 'part f1 The ybackstop, alone forms-.an important part of 'the invention because at all times, both when new and after vlong:and'continued play,fit--me-ts` the; requirements? of the American. Bowling Coni gress with respect to the set distance lbetwee'n the face of the backstopi andy the-Tend ofthe alley with which it is used..4 l. A, f

AWith the use .'.of1 applicant .novel Iloaclrstoizie ball; lifting; apron combination, substantially'- no jams; or -cloggingcan occur vbetweentheI head-of a pin and balls on the ball Ylift: cra'dle which 'isc preferably usedlin Aconnection withz-thel'improv'ed backston and." apron because oiI the@ fact` thatv at all times there is, a substantially"straight: line motion upwardly; along the: face: Sofa thebackstbp wlth respect.- tfo the iba-ll and/orpinsi whchf'may be carried, by. [the cradlere yIn the case fwherei an overstuffed .padded backstopof 'the f type .zdel-V scribedl above is. used in; connection' with" a' fleXiI-# olea nin, lifting: .apron such. Vas'"i'des'cribed' when'. the

bumper beomesi-.distortedoixr shapiefnthere's a tendency: for fthe' .-'ballgand/or, pins which might be' Carriedl by theA ball lift cradle 'i to'.- .become lodged Vhetvi/,een the. Lmdersiiie Sof the`V face lof the bumper adiacent he it; and the ,ball liftycradle'; Since the averageweight yof VNan;loverstuffed bumper is' approximately 3013; pounds;y it ycan be Seen .that theY strain. and, stress putfupon the' ball lli-t umechanisln is ,@considerableaifl a pin 'or ball is so fiammedlland the v machine may .be ystalled or breakaeeof par ,resulta lf; the. Qldv ..type. .-;heayy :padded curved faced bumper 'is usedinaxrin might; be :forced baek'-, dll? by a 'hall .and form ai'bght in: the apron l t9. .cause excess, pressure to .tef exertedlfby 'Q19' Il bnl 0f Ythe ball1if-ting;,cradle urging .the D11; vUWV..fllldly against thelhumpenlthereby result;-

breakaee. 1

Accordinsfgto; the: present, flnyent'icn-Vanypm'- lifted ,with a ,ball ln-fthe cradlel ,will `eithe'rzbe pushed on the. cradle..and. into 'thee-pitapronby ,as tion` ofthe @vertical face cfa-fthe: bumper. rela-tive Jto the cradle, or ifea vpin :is-sca carried. to

hfuppermost discharging position. ltrwillfbe discharged normally Without.-f-jamming';:against the .bumper- Furthermorafpnce, a ball als located properlypmthe ball liftcradle-andralthough a pm als@ ,he :lifted ,Eby-the cred-1e, iam can Occur :because olf. .the ,moyementio'ff thecradley relative to Vv the uniplanarrace ofthe ,bumperm M Il: isrobvious.. menne.thamielrri struc. wref .eliminates this, .danser ofi n 'k- My.- invention, therefore. c onSStSiri theproiscrii asumir alley with a minimum of wear and tear on the bumper and apron, decrease the rebound of the ball, and make it easier to provide for wear by replacement of the apron.

My invention is further characterized bythe provision of a ball pit backstopV construction consisting of a relatively thin resiliently mounted backstop mounted at the rear of the pit of a bowling alley in substantially a vertical plane, and which is provided with a relatively resilient uniplanar ball impact receiving face which is substantially unaffected by long usage and wear.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention and form a part of this speciiication, and in which likercharacters o f referenceindicate the same or like parts:

Figure l is a side elevation. partly in section disclosing the invention;

Figure 2 is a front elevation with parts broken awayto show the construction of a preferred form of backstop and its association with the pin lifting mechanism and Figure 3 isan isometric view showing the association and coaction between the backstop and ball and pin lifting mechanisms.

The mechanism selected forV purposes of illustrating the preferred form of the invention may be used in .an automatic bowling pin setting machine of the same general construction and operation as that shown and described in Rundell patent, Nq.'2,388,707, issued November 13, 1945.

While the back stopwhich forms a part of. this invention may be used on any alley independently of a machine since it provides a superior means for stopping a ball in the pit of an alley and preventing its rebound onto the playing surface thereof, it finds a special application in a machine of the type above referred to.

ReferringY to Figures 1 and 2, the machine is provided with side frames secured 'to the tops of kick backs 22 located at the sides ofthe pit of bowling alley A. The machine is provided with a pin conveyor 24 which conveys pins from chamber C upwardly to Vpin distributing mechanism (not shown) operative in proper timed relation to deliver pins to a storage magazine (not shown) Since this mechanism forms no part of the present invention, further description and disclosure are deemed unnecessary in the interest of brevity. Conveyor '24 is driven in proper timed relationby shaft ll.6.fthrough clutch 28V from a suitable source of power (not shown) As illustrated in Figure 1, a pin elevating mechanism designated generally 36, which in the preferred embodiment consists of a flexible apron or belt 3| formed of heavy canvas, or a canvasrubbercombination or other suitable material is operative to remove fallen pins from the pit P of the alley upwardly for discharge between transversely inclined ball delivery guides 32, 34 downwardly into chamber C1. Guides 32, 34 extend transversely the full width of the machine and-are -so inclined that a ball deposited thereon'V will roll by'gravityand be positively moved there- 4 along by continuously driven belt 36 out of the machine and onto a return runway of conventional design (not shown) One end of apron 30 is fastened to a transverse bar 38 having its ends slidably mounted in spaced inclined guides 40 suitably secured to side frames 2D. Attached to the ends of bar 38 are cables 42 which run in guides 40 upwardly and over idler pulleys 44 rotatably mounted on pins 46 in side frames 20. The free ends of cables 42 are attached to pulleys 48 fastened to shaft 49 journalled in Suitable bearings in side frames 20. One end of shaft 49 supports a sprocket 52 on which runs a chain 54 driving a sprocket 56 on shaft 58 of roller 60.

As shown in Figure l, apron 30 in its pin receiving position rests upon a pit platform designated generally 62 and extends upwardly the full height of the backstop 64 and adjacent the substantially vertical uniplanar face thereof. The end of kapron 3U adjacent the top of back stop 64 (Figure 1) is secured to roller 60 by means of a clamp bar 68 in a manner similar to thatA shown in Schmidt patent, No. 2,389,643 granted November 27, 1945.` l

A ball lift or cradle designated generally 14 is similar in construction and operation to that shown in thev above referred to Schmidt patent. The end frames 16 are pivotally attached to slides 18 mounted in side guides 86 fastened to the side frames 20. Guides 86 are provided with cam sections 82 which are similar in construction to those shown in the said Schmidt patent and coact with cam followers 84 on frames 'I6 to tilt the ball iift or `cradle at the proper time to dischargea ball and/or any pins carried thereby onto ball delivery guides 32, 34. Secured to the topsof slides i8 are cables 86, the other ends of which are attached to and run on pulleys 88 fast to the ends of shaft 90.

Mounted at the rear of pit P and in front ofl chamber Cis backstop 64 which forms an important part of this invention. In contrast with the heavy overstuffed and padded bumper or backstop cushions generally used in bowling and which breakdown and sag from use and are responsible for much rebound by balls, the backstop of this invention is relatively thin and substantially unaffected by wear. This results in a situation where American Bowling Congress rules are always met regardless of the amount of wear and tear by balls striking thereagainst. and at the same time the movement of balls striking theA backstop is rapidly and witha minimum of noise brought to a stop. These results are probably due both to the construction of the backstop alone, the method of mounting in the pit,.and also to the coaction existing between the backstop and the pinvliftingaprcn whichcovers the front of the ball striking face of the backstop so as to form in effect an air cushion between the front face of the backstop and the rear Vface of the apron. p

"In -the embodiment selected for purposes of illustration, back stop 64 consists of a support or frame 65 having attached to the upper portion thereof adjacent its ends, two hook members 94 by means of which frame 65 is supported on pins 96 mounted on the side frame bars 98. The arrangement is such that the front face of back stop 6 4 which preferably is uniplanar assumes a substantially vertical position relative to the plane of the playing surface of the alley. Springs IllllV located at each end of the back stop adjacent' the bottom thereof are supported by pins H12 in asin-6.14

limit stops |08 on brackets l|||4 ysecured to kick vbacks 22. The tensiof the springs is such that the back stop may yield backwardly whenever a ball strikes against apron 30 and the back stop after which it is immediately returned to the position shown in Figure l." I Y Y u The front part of frame `65-is providedwithf'a recess |53` in which is ttedand s ecuredalr'elatively thin, pit wide, shock absorbing mat which constitutes the ball impactreceiving portion` l of th/backstop. Any suitable'matrial may be used for this part of the backstop. It'has been found that a mat 61, made up of ajseries of stri-ps cut from rubberv tires'and secured together byr'rieans of wire. asillustrated irrFigurefZ'f-is' very satisfactr'y for -this purpose. The width of theyrbber strips may 'range from one-half inch to two inches, more or less, as; desired- This mat may be attached to the frame 65V by any suitable meaiisuch as clamps 69'. L A' readily obtainable material suitable fr "use as the mat portion of the novel backstop consists of rubberized tire fabric strips cut from sidewalls and treads of six and eight ply discarded automobile tires. The strips can range from one-half to two inches in width, depending on the thickness of mat required. The strips, all of one selected width, are punched with a series of holes and assembled, as is shown in Figure 2, and held in mat form by wires 6 I .y

The mat 61 may, if desired, cover the entire front of frame 65. In the back stop disclosed, mat 61 is approximately one inch thick, approximately two feet high, and substantially pit wide. The height can be varied. although it is so designed and positioned in frame 65 that any type of ball, hard thrown or otherwise, will strike against the mat portion. Recess 63 is so formed that the front face of mat 61 preferably is flush with the front face of frame 65. The total thickness of the back stop illustrated is approximately two and one-half inches. This dimension can, however, be varied between one and one-half and four inches.

In operation a ball rolling into pit P falls on platform 62 pivotally attached at I|0 to blocks ||2 secured to the front of the pit P. A spring I4 which supports the free end of platform 62 is thereupon compressed and switch is closed thereby making a circuit through wires |22, |24 which energizes solenoid |26 mounted on frame 20. Armature |28 connected to lever |30 pivotally supported on bracket |32 on frame 20 swings the nose |34 of lever |30 out of engagement with clutch operating member |36 and clutch |38 is thrown in thereby couplingv driving sprocket |42 secured to continuously rotating shaft |44 to gear- |46. Sprocket |42 is formed with a sleeve |4| extending through and normally loosely supporting gear |46. Shaft |44 is preferably driven continuously by means of sprocket |42 and chain |48 running on a continuously rotating driving sprocket (not shown) driven by any suitable driving shaft.

When gear |46 is set into rotation by being coupled with sleeve I4 gear |50 which meshes therewith is driven thereby rotating cam shaft |52 to which is fastened a cam |54 provided with cam tracks |56 and |58. Running in track |56 is a cam follower |60 pivotally mounted on lever |62 fulcrumed on shaft |64 supported by the side frames of the machine 20.

Arrd 1166'- attacnedifto the freeend. of lever i 6;! islprcviddl-wth `a rack |68 which meshes with a pinion |10 fastened toshaftl iiD-which supports pulleys '88,"described-hereinabovef-" Rack |68 is maintained in 'drivinglf..engagement'v4 with pinion |10f'1by means of a flangedirollerllz rotatably spprtedfin bracket 114' nlsh'a'ft '90.

pivotally mounted on lever l1'8alsofulcrume'd oni-shaft |641.v A-rod pivoted tot the: free end of-lever |18 is provided.withfa-racklll meshing with and driving pin-ion |82 fastened to 'shaft 49 which supports pulleys 48. :Rack |-8'| ismaine tained in proper driving relationship withpinion |82 by means of a :flanged roller |88 rotatably supported by bracket| 86 onvjshaft 49. It will be evident from the fereeeine that' Whenever. Shaft |52. isset into .rtation in the manner'describd'. byrnan's ofcam 54 and cam tracks y| 5.6 andwl581 t 1 4Laii'd aprhfc willbe pe'iated in 'such that' a. banjisjnrst 1ifted frmthnit i A O ,gedl onthetransfer delivery guidsn'l, 39j and` tnejbauiift thenl assumes the po non shown in dotted lines in- Figure '1.

Following the operation of the balllift, one end of the apron 30 is lifted as slide 38 moves upwardly in guides 40 and the other end of the apron is rolled on roller 60 until the pin lifting portion of the apron 30 assumes the position indicated in dotted lines in Figure l wherein the pins are discharged between guides 32, 34 into chamber C. Continued rotation of shaft |52 results in the return movement of apron 30 and ball lift 14 to the positions indicated inFigure 1 in which portion 3| of apron 30 is draped substantially vertically in front of the mat portion 61 of back stop 64. As described hereinabove, this relationship between the backstop and apron 30 makes it possible to insure that `the distance from the face of the backstop to the edge of the playing surface of the alley will always be `within the specifications set by the American Bowling Congress regardless of the amount of wear and usage of the backstop and apron. Furthermore, due to the substantially unchanging face of the bumper, over long usage, wear and tear on the apron 30 is maintained at a minimum and at the same time balls and pins are lifted by the apron 30 and ball lift 14 substantially vertically relative to the uniplanar front face of backstop 64 with substantially complete elimination of breakage of parts due to the novel coaction between these members and the back stop of the invention.

The invention above described may be varied in construction withinthe scope of the claims, for

the particular device, selected to illustrate the invention, is but one of many possible concrete embodiments of the same. It is not, therefore, to be restricted to the precise details of the structure shown and described.

What I claim is:

l. In a bowling pin setting machine in combination a relatively thin backstop provided with a substantially vertical uniplanar ball striking surface, means mounting said backstop at the rear of the pit of a bowling alley, a flexible pin lifting apron for lifting pins out of said pit, means mounting one end of said apron above said backstop, said apron being held-by said means in draped relationship over and extending downwardly in front of said backstop and longitudinally of said pit to a point adjacent the end of said alley, a ball lift located in front of said backstop and adjacent thereto and arranged to rest upon said apron, and means for raising said i unna-1g: @am track. ltsv is a follower-ns ball lifta'nd said apron free of interferenoefby said backstop to dischargebal1sand.,plns'gfrgm said ball lift and apron. f ,Y 2.*In.a bowling pin setting machine adaptedto belocated'adjacent the 4pitofa bowlingjalley, a relatively thin backstopprovided with; afsubstantially uniplanar ball- ,engaging ffaoe,`y means mounting saidibackstoloY ina substantially vertical plane rat the rearv of said pit, means urging the lower portion of said backstop towards the Vfront end ofsaid pit, stops limiting the forward movement .of said backstop,V a" substantially pit wide flexible apron drapedvover and extending downwardly-in frontof and substantially in Contact with said uniplanar fae of said vbackstop and longitudinally in said pit-and adapted to contain pins and a ball falling into said pit and onto said apron, means fior*supporting said drapedportion of'isaid apronsubstantially in contact Withsaid uniilmark face of'said backstop insubstantial parallelism with said face of said baokstop, and means forl raising said apron and any pnsfand a ball contained therein relative to and in Viront QfsailgiA backstop free from interfere` ple between pinsfcarried bysaid apron and said vba0 ks1j, op.`, f -28 -.-GUS.TAF ,HAGQUS/T-.g REFERENCES CITED. .f ffl" The following referencesvare of record in the file of this patent: u 1 l f UNITED STATES APATENTS VVDate-V 138,087 switzerland 1 Apr. 16,1930 

